"I am a part, of all that I have met" -- a most valuable and seemingly forgotten lesson among us, Brother Malcolm. Happy Birthday!
There's so much I could say about this documentary, but I won't -- not yet. I simply ask that you watch it (if you've not already seen it) and then, let's all talk about it.
Excellent video. I think I have seen it before, but its been a long time.
In 1971 undercover cop Gene Roberts testified in court that he was the first to get to Malcolm after he was shot and he said he began giving him "mouth to mouth..." So, Gene admits he aided in Malcolm's death as no one should EVER give mouth to mouth to someone with a gunshot wound to the chest.
I remember viewing this video some time ago, however, it was good to see it again. Thanks Deb.
Although, Malcolm and his adopted religious family's inner conflict fueled by people like the undercover cops and fbi led to his death; this was a necessary rite of passage.
He could not have{this is my belief}become the man he was when assassinated; had he not gone through the conversion in prison. Malcolm Little needed to become Malcolm X and ultimately EL-HAJJ MALIK EL-SHABAZZ!
I agree wholeheartedly when EL-HAJJ MALIK EL-SHABAZZ told his wife that the Muslim organization could have been an outstanding force in uplifting many segments of the black community towards economic/political/spiritual/social empowerment. He regretted that human frailties, paranoia, envy and outside forces destroyed what it could have become.
I might add that in the midst of all that..there were worthwhile pursuits by the organization that continue today with smaller numbers. The needs of those who've been severely marginalized not only by whites but blacks are still being met by this group.
Sis Deb..this is not directly related to this post but the HOA on your sidebar. This is a statement from Cuba on placing Assata Shakur on the terrorist list. They aren't going to give her up but her life is still in danger and The National Network on Cuba is putting it all out there.
Amenta...It had been a while since I saw it too but, I thought it appropriate on his birthday, to remind US not only, WHOM we've lost, but more importantly, WHAT we've lost (particularly when one thinks of BeelzObama's ludicrous, "Look forward, not back" nonsense).
In 1971 undercover cop Gene Roberts testified in court that he was the first to get to Malcolm after he was shot and he said he began giving him "mouth to mouth..."
Well, he WAS an undercover cop, no? Sorry there's not much I put past them boys in blue (undercover or not)!
Sis. Carolyn..."He could not have {this is my belief} become the man he was when assassinated; had he not gone through the conversion in prison. Malcolm Little needed to become Malcolm X and ultimately EL-HAJJ MALIK EL-SHABAZZ! "
I totally agree with you, which is why I get a little warm when a lot of UStend to marginalize or just outright write off our own people.
" I agree wholeheartedly when EL-HAJJ MALIK EL-SHABAZZ told his wife that the Muslim organization could have been an outstanding force in uplifting many segments of the black community towards economic/political/spiritual/social empowerment."
Full disclosure: I subscribe to no organized religion these days, but I agree as well -- hence the assassination (albeit, different reasons, for different folk involved IMHO). My Grandmama always used to tell me, "It ain't what they say, it's what they do Debi!" and it was apparent that the Muslim organization was DOING very uplifting work for Black folk. And had his OAAU taken off -- whew!
"He regretted that human frailties, paranoia, envy and outside forces destroyed what it could have become. "
I tell you, Sis! And what's worse is, that shit continues in over-drive today. {smdh}
Thanks for that link too! And Indeed!!!! is certainly right!
"Full disclosure: I subscribe to no organized religion these days, but I agree as well -- hence the assassination (albeit, different reasons, for different folk involved IMHO" "And had his OAAU taken off -- whew!"
Maybe it's my hubris but I don't follow any denominational concept of religion. Organized rites, rules and regulations work for some but I prefer a more personal relationship with my maker. So I understand your point. As far as the OAAU, there is a story about that which I marvel at while I was in NYC and they were trying to get that going in the midst of all the pain and retaliatory behaviors by supporters and opponents of Malcolm. His sister, Ella Collins was no one to mess with at that time and had he lived; I believe the organization would have been as powerful as he made the Nation of Islam before the split.
Sis. Carolyn...I don't think it's hubris at all. All I have left in me of "that ole time religion" are the wonderfully moving and uplifting gospel songs (can't shake 'em) -- caused great "collisions" every time I went home these last few months. I have "church" on my porch on Sunday mornings. I listen to some good gospel music and try to connect with the "spirit" I know resides within my soul. I call on my ancestors to help guide me through this mess we're in, and then I have a glass or two of wine -- call it my "communion."
Thanks for sharing the OAAU memory, I aspire to be like Miss Ella (been workin' on it for some time now! :-D). We needed that organization, we really did...
" call on my ancestors to help guide me through this mess we're in, and then I have a glass or two of wine -- call it my "communion..."
I Love this. This is my "church" too.
We needed the OAAU and that is exactly why he, Mr. Shabazz had to go! Of course this is why that negro J. Edgar Hoodster took him out. Hoodster didn't want a Messiah to "electrify" the masses.
Before there is ever a revolution there must be an evolution. I have been saying this for years now, but often the Black Nationalists argue me down even picking at the word evolution as if it, at it's core, is different than revolution.
So, yes we needed an organization like the OAAU at that time. Now, we live in a time when the magnetic poles of the Earth are moving and realigning, but we are not realigning ourselves. Many of us want to fight the old fight in this new world order.
The old order is gone. Weaknesses have been exposed. Just look. If you really pay attention to the video of Angela Davis and Sistah Shakur's attorney (I cannot remember his name right now) neither of them dared utter the names Obama or Holder. We must begin to shift with the poles in every way. Our battle ground is no longer the battle ground of old.
Sistah Deb, you have been in the military and I am sure you know that fighting a war is really about logistics and not so much about killing the enemy. So, now, we find ourselves in a situation that logistically we are compromised. The battle ground has become our individual bodies and we never once knew it was happening. Even now, many of us will turn aside the notion that the battle ground is our bodies and still attempt to face off with the perceived enemy totally and inadequatley prepared for battle. Inadequite because most of us are sick. Physically ill. High blood pressure, sugar, gout, blocked colons, arthritis, constipated. The biggest killer of black people today is lung cancer. How does a group do battle with a sick military. Sugar diabetes has risen 96% since 1996 and that is a general stat for all "races."
The battle field has shifted and we need to make that shift.
Logistics include funding. and be clear that the IMF is moving to devalue the USD by 50%...Ok I will stop here. Just food I chew on everyday and work at using this info to Evolve. I think sista Shakur said we need to r/evolve.
Thanks, it's like going where you need to be, instead of where you're "expected" to be, you know what I mean?
"Before there is ever a revolution there must be an evolution."
Assuming you mean an "evolution" of both thought and action, I agree with you there -- however, your links notwithstanding, I'm not even gonna front like I know anything about the effects of the magnetic poles aligning on us, humans, because I don't. Feel free to elaborate though.
"Many of us want to fight the old fight in this new world order...The old order is gone. Weaknesses have been exposed."
I disagree the old order is gone, I just think a lot of folk have sold out to this "new world order" (either completely, or partially, i.e. those "exposed weaknesses" to which you refer) because it's easier, and more financially lucrative to be bought -- rather than continuing to fight and stand up as Malcolm and his OAAU did, because it's harder and dangerous at times, and nowhere near as financially lucrative (as if that must always be the end result).
"Our battle ground is no longer the battle ground of old."
Au contraire, mon frère! I really don't understand what you mean by that, because still see the same shit, different day! Wanna elaborate?
"I am sure you know that fighting a war is really about logistics and not so much about killing the enemy."
Full disclosure: My military experience was limited. However, IMHO, it's about both. Effective and properly executed logistics, to include funding, are necessary to make the killing easy in order to produce the FEAR, which allows the achievement of the desired end, be it plunder of resources, land-grabbing, regime change to force hegemony, etc., etc.
And let me just say this, those who get us involved in military actions, really don't give two-shits about having a "sick military" -- the human bodies are merely a means to an end and are expendable. Because if they did, there would've been no Walter Reed scandal, no rise of untreated TBIs (Traumatic Brain Injury); no backlog of veterans' claims for PTSD and a host of other injuries both physical and psychological; no increasing of the cost for military medical benefits (yes, we do pay for them, not as much as civilians, but we do) -- and I'm not just talking about these unnecessary and lied-us-into recent wars either. Just really look around you and you'll see the huge toll the Vietnam War has taken on the lives of so many of its veterans, many of them homeless or unable to secure a living wage or a decent standard of living because they are mentally and/or emotionally impaired. The list got on...
Now I do agree that we continue to compromise our bodies (present company included) and that we could/should try to do better in that regard -- but I don't see "them" as the new "battleground," Brother, I just don't. If your spirit is broken and/or your mind's screwed up, I don't care how strong your body is, you will never live any semblance of a balanced, or abundant life (whatever your definition of abundance is).
Sis Deb, I didn't see your comment on Toni and Angela. I wonder what happened? I've checked to make sure it didn't go to spam but I don't see the comment and I really wanted to get your thoughts on it. hmmm....
"I disagree the old order is gone, I just think a lot of folk have sold out to this "new world order" (either completely, or partially, i.e. those "exposed weaknesses" to which you refer) because it's easier, and more financially lucrative to be bought -- rather than continuing to fight and stand up as Malcolm and his OAAU did, because it's harder and dangerous at times, and nowhere near as financially lucrative (as if that must always be the end result)".
Deb,I must say your response rings true and what I find so interesting is the dynamics remain the same with each generation or era. We don't seem to learn from the mistakes of the past and they recycle within different contexts but it's the same old thing. To be able to withstand and fight oppression...soundness of mind and emotional and spiritual fortitude are critical to survival and beyond. We should take better care of ourselves and I see that happening more now than ever but there is a definite connection between the mind/spirit and body and in order to be whole...the latter is just a shell without the former. Peace..
Sis. Carolyn, I don't know what the hayell happened to the comment, but I will rewrite and re-submit it as soon as I finish Pt. 2 of my latest series (I'm not near as disciplined a writer as I should be, so I gotta go ahead and finish it while I feel it!). Just wanted you to know that I got, and appreciate your input on this particular subject (think cuz we're old-er, we see shit similarly?). I'll come back and expand on your comment later.
"I really don't understand what you mean by that, because still see the same shit, different day! Wanna elaborate?"
I mean that the so called powers that be have attacked us on the cellular level and killing us via the food supply. I mean that part of the tactics of those that wish to control us are on purpose manipulating and modifying the food supply. It is not as simple as we are not taking care of ourselves, but the food is being manipulated to such a degree that even though some of us attempt to "eat right" we are not helping ourselves and still becoming sick. How then can one take on a perceived enemy and all the while take the racist's and white supremecist's sugar diabetes or high blood pressure medication for preventable dis-ease? I agree we are dealing with the same old shyte, however it has been compounded by a tampered with supply of food. So, what I mean by logistics is we are attempting to fight against racism and white supremacy all the while they are killing us via the food chain and (the food supply is hurting all of us here in the States, but affecting black people to a greater degree), we don't realize it which can make the fight against racism a moot point if we are ill.
Weaknesses exposed, means exactly what you said. They have been bought off, happily. And, helping to inflict pain on us along with white supremacy. This alone, having to face off with those that look like us changes the playing field.
Brother Dick Gregory says that the major causes of death in this country is lack of sleep and dehydration. My statement about an ill army had nothing to do with the U.S. military, but the army of black freedom fighters who may be be suffering from the effects of lack of proper nutrients and dealing with preventable disease.
I have no broken spirit, I just see the battle as wider than white supremacy and racism. Like Glen Ford states on an episode of Black Agenda TV, concerning Detroit, MI and Dekalb County, GA. Pointing out that these are black majority run districts, Detroit 81% and Dekalb County 55% We know that the black people running these districts are operating in a system set up by racism and white supremacy, but as he says this knowledge is irrelevant. The greater knowledge is how to get them out of office.
I don't think I have the ability to make myself clear here in this space.
Carolyn, Amenta...Hey Family! Just back from a hellacious road trip to FL (tying up some rental property loose ends) and SC (so damned home-sick, looking for a new home). I've been seriously overwhelmed by what I had to do and what I saw at home, I fell mute. I apologize.
Sis Carolyn...on Toni and Angela, don't know what happened but here's the short version: I grew up with, and was so inspired by both these women. Angela was my shero. I emulated her for reasons too numerous to list here. But when BeelzObama appeared, I couldn't believe she'd fallen for his bullshit: http://www.blackagendareport.com/content/angela-davis-lost-her-mind-over-obama I get how she, like John Lewis, longed to see a Black face in the White House given their activism -- but not HIS damned face! I do however support her fight against the Prison Industrial complex; she does, after all, have first-hand experience!
Regarding Toni, I feel pretty much the same. She gave voice to my little Black self with her books (I have them all except for "A Mercy"). She "knew me." I have to admit that, like her, my then, non-critically thinking self thought life was good for us under Slick Willy. I know better now. Her support of BeelzObama, like Angela's, was befuddling: http://observer.com/2008/01/toni-morrisons-letter-to-barack-obama/ -- WHAT??!!
Amenta, my Brother..."I agree we are dealing with the same old shyte, however it has been compounded by a tampered with supply of food."
I agree with you here, especially given the free reign companies like Monsanto have been afforded. However, I stand by my statement that, "If your spirit is broken and/or your mind's screwed up, I don't care how strong your body is, you will never live any semblance of a balanced, or abundant life."
I have "The Immortal LIfe of Henrietta Lacks" and am familiar with the HeLa cells that made the powers-that-be rich beyond measure, while her family can't even pay for health insurance. It is no different from the atrocities visited upon us and detailed so eloquently in Harriet A. Washington's, "Medical Apartheid." But today, we have white-trained, Black medical professionals needing stroking, participating in the furtherance of those kinds of experimentations. Their mind/body/spirit have been so manipulated, they don't even see their betrayal of us as a people, just their own possible glory, IMHO (possible being the operative word here).
The "your" in my statement was the "universal you," not you personally. I listened to the whole link you provided, and trust me -- I get it. I just don't think we can separate the mind/spirit/body triad.
"I just see the battle as wider than white supremacy and racism."
I don't. However, I agree with both you and Glen regarding these black majority run districts. And yes, the black people running these districts ARE operating in a system set up by racism and white supremacy. But I disagree strongly that "this knowledge is irrelevant." Why? Because you can't fight what you can't see and what WE can't see, is that the White Supremacist Capitalist Patriarchy (WSCP) is NOT just white folk! It's a SYSTEM which includes those "Others" who have become white (as Baldwin explains here: http://lets-be-clear.blogspot.com/2010/08/incredible-nothingness-of-whiteness.html), along with Blacks who will never BE white, but choose the financial benefits and self-aggrandizement that comes with being complicit in the WSCP!
I disagree that, "The greater knowledge is how to get them out of office." The greater knowledge is paying attention and knowing who the hell is who! Once we all GET THAT, getting them out of office is cake!
Sis Deb; I'm glad you are back and I hope that your business was taken care of to your liking! :-)
Re: Toni and Angela's support of President Obama; I must confess that when he first ran; I voted for him and like many...I saw what I wanted to see. He had this amazing oratory and persona to be many things to many people. After the initial naming of his cabinet during his first term; My response was Oh Hell! and as he went on I was especially struck by his reluctance to use his edge in making good on his promises when running. How do you take the country in a new direction using the same folks that aided Bush! Expectations lowered for sure and during his 2012 run I voted against Romney not for Obama. I became a strong Independent for both parties worked against us in different ways and also in collusion. Back to Toni and Angela; they may have decided to vote and continue to support the "more effective evil" (The BAR Report's analysis)for the symbolism of his election took precedence over anything he did or didn't do OR continues to do. It seems that black folks view themselves as being between a rock and hard place on this one. My concern is that I don't want to be linked with the ranting/raving white supremacists and their lackies--black conservative pundits who want him dead or silenced. The irony is that we see Obama as lacking progressive nerve in key areas and they view him as some wide-eyed progressive who is going to take away their white privilege. For those conservative blacks; it's far more complicated but just as deadly for their conservative and fixed views are tied to fundamentalist interpretations of the bible. The latter is a powerful force in many FACETS of the black community and for many gave our ancestors the strength to survive the horror of slavery/lynchings/Jim crow. Racism is no longer the threat that it was (to them) and has no bearing on their other conservative beliefs. Thus they can form alliances with white supremacists based on shared biblical beliefs and accept the mantel of becoming their "exceptional negroes". Sis Deb, I'm sure there is more to say but I don't want to take over your comment section. As I think this through further; I plan to do a post on it in the near future.
I still care about Toni and Angela but I have come to the realization that we can't be all things to all people and though I disagree with them re: Obama; I respect what they've done and their commitment to telling the story of the marginalized and oppressed. Angela came out strongly for Assata Shakur.
Part 1.) Sis Carolyn...Hey! What an absolutely gorgeous picture on your new avatar! Thanks, the trip went half as well as expected, but I'm still workin' on it. I’m certainly glad to have that damned drive behind me though! No time to really write and way too much time to think!
”I must confess that when he first ran; I voted for him and like many...I saw what I wanted to see.”
Thank you for at least owning that (unlike many of his supporters). I respect you so much for doing so. Yeah, he had this amazingly orchestrated oratory, coupled with an equally orchestrated persona -- engineered by the real powers-that-be, so that he could come off as able “to be many things to many people. “ But, after having researched then-Sen. Obama since he gave the keynote speech at the DNC in 2004, and then the later shenanigans of the Rules & Bylaws Committee on his behalf (because I was living in Florida at the time) (http://lets-be-clear.blogspot.com/2008/02/florida-and-michigan-disenfranchisement.html); along with the truth about his “community organizing,” http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/06/27/grim_proving_ground_for_obamas_housing_policy/?s_campaign=8315 -- I knew, symbolism be damned, there was no way in hayell I’d be voting for their puppet -- http://lets-be-clear.blogspot.com/2008/06/history-or-his-story.html.
And in 2008, I did not. I became an Independent forthwith, voting for my sister, Cynthia McKinney (Oh I know, she was way “too ghetto” for most Black folk – I absolutely hate when we use that word our own damned selves, as if it hadn’t been created for ALL OF US OTHERS at one time or another! But that’s how she was described, by us and e’erybody else!). I voted for her because she fearlessly walked her talk, both here and abroad! Did I think she would win? Absolutely not. Did it matter? Absolutely not. I’m a big believer in, “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.”
”After the initial naming of his cabinet during his first term; My response was Oh Hell! and as he went on I was especially struck by his reluctance to use his edge in making good on his promises when running. How do you take the country in a new direction using the same folks that aided Bush!
You don’t, and he didn’t – because that wasn’t his purpose, as far as the real powers-that be were concerned: http://lets-be-clear.blogspot.com/2008/11/all-things-obama-media-love-fest.html
”Expectations lowered for sure and during his 2012 run I voted against Romney not for Obama. I became a strong Independent for both parties worked against us in different ways and also in collusion. “
You’re dead right there -- http://lets-be-clear.blogspot.com/2010/09/democrats-or-republicans-same-thing.html! So Sis, we both became Independents kinda for the same reasons.
Hey sistah! No need to apologize as you know I was and am dealing with some of the same stuff and know exactly how you are feeling. I am just coming back to myself from my trip back home.
Be Peace and we will surely converse when you strengthen yourself and get what you have to get together.
Part 2.) ”Re: Toni and Angela's support of President Obama they may have decided to vote and continue to support the "more effective evil" (The BAR Report's analysis) for the symbolism of his election took precedence over anything he did or didn't do OR continues to do. “
Sis Carolyn trust me, I still care about and respect Toni and Angela for what they've done and their commitment to telling the story of the marginalized and oppressed as well. I just don’t believe in “symbolism.” It means nothing to me if at the end of the day, real power is absent (and IMHO, it is where he’s concerned). Yes, “Angela came out strongly for Assata Shakur.” But, I just don’t get, how she can support him and be for Assata at the same time! What he and Brother Ass-coverer did was carried water for the White Supremacist Capitalist Patriarchy (WSCP) and surely imperiled her life at the same time! This, against a woman who certainly stood for our Blackness, way more than either of them ever have.
”It seems that black folks view themselves as being between a rock and hard place on this one.”
Not me. I’d rather not have a Black president if all we get, is someone like him who, when he’s not talking down to us, shuns our issues just like the white presidents have. “Change we can believe in” was a mere marketing tool.
”My concern is that I don't want to be linked with the ranting/raving white supremacists and their lackies--black conservative pundits who want him dead or silenced.”
I don’t worry about that because my distaste for him is rooted in the issues and his lies. Yes, the racists want him dead – because they’re die-hard racists! Black conservatives of today are not the Black conservatives of yesterday, like say, Frederick Douglass. Today, it seems, they (just like the Changeling) don’t understand, or are even interested in the fact that, as Audre Lourde once said, “The master's tools will never dismantle the master's house.”
”The irony is that we see Obama as lacking progressive nerve in key areas and they view him as some wide-eyed progressive who is going to take away their white privilege. “
Don’t count me in that we. I simply see him as a perfectly willing puppet, only interested in self-aggrandizement (for whatever reason – and I believe there are some deep-seated reasons) and who’ll do anything to get it.
”For those conservative blacks…Racism is no longer the threat that it was (to them) and has no bearing on their other conservative beliefs. Thus they can form alliances with white supremacists based on shared biblical beliefs and accept the mantel of becoming their "exceptional negroes."
While I agree about the whole bible thing (good and bad), I disagree that racism is no longer a threat to them. I think they just think it isn’t. Let them forget their “place” in those alliances and you can bet, they’ll go from “exceptional negroes” back to just plain, old niggers quick, fast and in a hurry because -- the supremacists haven’t changed, they just want folk to think they have.
Sis, never, ever worry about taking over my comment section because I enjoy our conversations immensely! I appreciate your sharing your thoughts, experiences and memories – they not only often teach me something, they give me a sense of place, of being anchored to the “us’” we were, as well as the "us" I have to believe we can be again.
"My concern is that I don't want to be linked with the ranting/raving white supremacists and their lackies--black conservative pundits who want him dead or silenced.”
Sistahs this is exactly why I stopped posting about him. I didn't want to add fuel to the fire for these knuckle draggers.
" ...didn't want to add fuel to the fire for these knuckle draggers."
Based on his actions (as directed by the real powers-that-be), he's doing a REAL good job of that all by his lonesome, IMHO. They're just too stupid and racist to realize it!
Sis Carolyn, Bro Amenta...I said up-thread, "I simply see him as a perfectly willing puppet..."
I came across this article today that explains what I mean wa-a-ay better than I could articulate: http://www.globalresearch.ca/syria-the-western-faces-behind-the-terror/5340493
He is in fact as BAR said, "the more effective evil." I'd go even further and say he has been "the MOST effective evil" for the-powers-that be, simply because his Black face in the White House has added millions of us majority-minorities to the rolls of those who are willingly (though quite unwittingly) complicit in the plans that are leading to their own destruction. No white president could have accomplished that -- which is why I take no responsibility for either "being linked with the ranting/raving white supremacists and their lackies--black conservative pundits who want him dead or silenced" or, as Amenta said, "adding fuel to the fire for these knuckle draggers." Because I'm doing neither.
My purpose in posting about him heavily is, first and foremost, trying to get information out so folk can seriously consider the "real" vs the propaganda being purposely generated because, none of us can fight, what we don't see. The dog whistles of Republican vs Democrats are just that, dog whistles, used to provide cover for the machinations of a Zionist-led, New World Order that plans to subjugate us all -- yet again (unless we fall in line like the Changeling and his minions, of course).
When you have time, check out the link (and the references in the footnotes). It's all overwhelmingly frightening to think how much is going on right under our noses, to include Amenta's very important issue of food-tampering (can anybody say Monsanto???), but -- we can learn to live our lives much more purposefully when we know what the hell is going on. Either that, or get the hell out of Dodge (which is looking, more and more, like a viable option to me)! :-D
Peace, Family -- and thanks again for such meaningful discourse.
24 comments:
Excellent video. I think I have seen it before, but its been a long time.
In 1971 undercover cop Gene Roberts testified in court that he was the first to get to Malcolm after he was shot and he said he began giving him "mouth to mouth..." So, Gene admits he aided in Malcolm's death as no one should EVER give mouth to mouth to someone with a gunshot wound to the chest.
I remember viewing this video some time ago, however, it was good to see it again. Thanks Deb.
Although, Malcolm and his adopted religious family's inner conflict fueled by people like the undercover cops and fbi led to his death; this was a necessary rite of passage.
He could not have{this is my belief}become the man he was when assassinated; had he not gone through the conversion in prison. Malcolm Little needed to become Malcolm X and ultimately EL-HAJJ MALIK EL-SHABAZZ!
I agree wholeheartedly when EL-HAJJ MALIK EL-SHABAZZ told his wife that the Muslim organization could have been an outstanding force in uplifting many segments of the black community towards economic/political/spiritual/social empowerment. He regretted that human frailties, paranoia, envy and outside forces destroyed what it could have become.
I might add that in the midst of all that..there were worthwhile pursuits by the organization that continue today with smaller numbers. The needs of those who've been severely marginalized not only by whites but blacks are still being met by this group.
Peace....
Sis Deb..this is not directly related to this post but the HOA on your sidebar. This is a statement from Cuba on placing Assata Shakur on the terrorist list. They aren't going to give her up but her life is still in danger and The National Network on Cuba is putting it all out there.
http://www.freethefive.org/updates/Comuniques/CONNOCAssata52013.htm
Indeed!!!!
Amenta...It had been a while since I saw it too but, I thought it appropriate on his birthday, to remind US not only, WHOM we've lost, but more importantly, WHAT we've lost (particularly when one thinks of BeelzObama's ludicrous, "Look forward, not back" nonsense).
In 1971 undercover cop Gene Roberts testified in court that he was the first to get to Malcolm after he was shot and he said he began giving him "mouth to mouth..."
Well, he WAS an undercover cop, no? Sorry there's not much I put past them boys in blue (undercover or not)!
Sis. Carolyn..."He could not have {this is my belief} become the man he was when assassinated; had he not gone through the conversion in prison. Malcolm Little needed to become Malcolm X and ultimately EL-HAJJ MALIK EL-SHABAZZ!
"
I totally agree with you, which is why I get a little warm when a lot of UStend to marginalize or just outright write off our own people.
" I agree wholeheartedly when EL-HAJJ MALIK EL-SHABAZZ told his wife that the Muslim organization could have been an outstanding force in uplifting many segments of the black community towards economic/political/spiritual/social empowerment."
Full disclosure: I subscribe to no organized religion these days, but I agree as well -- hence the assassination (albeit, different reasons, for different folk involved IMHO). My Grandmama always used to tell me, "It ain't what they say, it's what they do Debi!" and it was apparent that the Muslim organization was DOING very uplifting work for Black folk. And had his OAAU taken off -- whew!
"He regretted that human frailties, paranoia, envy and outside forces destroyed what it could have become. "
I tell you, Sis! And what's worse is, that shit continues in over-drive today. {smdh}
Thanks for that link too! And Indeed!!!! is certainly right!
"Full disclosure: I subscribe to no organized religion these days, but I agree as well -- hence the assassination (albeit, different reasons, for different folk involved IMHO"
"And had his OAAU taken off -- whew!"
Maybe it's my hubris but I don't follow any denominational concept of religion. Organized rites, rules and regulations work for some but I prefer a more personal relationship with my maker. So I understand your point. As far as the OAAU, there is a story about that which I marvel at while I was in NYC and they were trying to get that going in the midst of all the pain and retaliatory behaviors by supporters and opponents of Malcolm. His sister, Ella Collins was no one to mess with at that time and had he lived; I believe the organization would have been as powerful as he made the Nation of Islam before the split.
Peace....
Sis. Carolyn...I don't think it's hubris at all. All I have left in me of "that ole time religion" are the wonderfully moving and uplifting gospel songs (can't shake 'em) -- caused great "collisions" every time I went home these last few months. I have "church" on my porch on Sunday mornings. I listen to some good gospel music and try to connect with the "spirit" I know resides within my soul. I call on my ancestors to help guide me through this mess we're in, and then I have a glass or two of wine -- call it my "communion."
Thanks for sharing the OAAU memory, I aspire to be like Miss Ella (been workin' on it for some time now! :-D). We needed that organization, we really did...
Peace back atcha, Sis...
" call on my ancestors to help guide me through this mess we're in, and then I have a glass or two of wine -- call it my "communion..."
I Love this. This is my "church" too.
We needed the OAAU and that is exactly why he, Mr. Shabazz had to go! Of course this is why that negro J. Edgar Hoodster took him out. Hoodster didn't want a Messiah to "electrify" the masses.
Before there is ever a revolution there must be an evolution. I have been saying this for years now, but often the Black Nationalists argue me down even picking at the word evolution as if it, at it's core, is different than revolution.
So, yes we needed an organization like the OAAU at that time. Now, we live in a time when the magnetic poles of the Earth are moving and realigning, but we are not realigning ourselves. Many of us want to fight the old fight in this new world order.
The old order is gone. Weaknesses have been exposed. Just look. If you really pay attention to the video of Angela Davis and Sistah Shakur's attorney (I cannot remember his name right now) neither of them dared utter the names Obama or Holder.
We must begin to shift with the poles in every way. Our battle ground is no longer the battle ground of old.
Sistah Deb, you have been in the military and I am sure you know that fighting a war is really about logistics and not so much about killing the enemy.
So, now, we find ourselves in a situation that logistically we are compromised. The battle ground has become our individual bodies and we never once knew it was happening. Even now, many of us will turn aside the notion that the battle ground is our bodies and still attempt to face off with the perceived enemy totally and inadequatley prepared for battle. Inadequite because most of us are sick. Physically ill. High blood pressure, sugar, gout, blocked colons, arthritis, constipated. The biggest killer of black people today is lung cancer.
How does a group do battle with a sick military. Sugar diabetes has risen 96% since 1996 and that is a general stat for all "races."
The battle field has shifted and we need to make that shift.
Logistics include funding. and be clear that the IMF is moving to devalue the USD by 50%...Ok I will stop here. Just food I chew on everyday and work at using this info to Evolve. I think sista Shakur said we need to r/evolve.
Peace.
Magnetic pole shifting links.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/12/091224-north-pole-magnetic-russia-earth-core.html
http://www.aolnews.com/2011/01/07/magnetic-north-pole-shift-affects-tampa-airport/
Amenta..."I Love this. This is my "church" too. "
Thanks, it's like going where you need to be, instead of where you're "expected" to be, you know what I mean?
"Before there is ever a revolution there must be an evolution."
Assuming you mean an "evolution" of both thought and action, I agree with you there -- however, your links notwithstanding, I'm not even gonna front like I know anything about the effects of the magnetic poles aligning on us, humans, because I don't. Feel free to elaborate though.
"Many of us want to fight the old fight in this new world order...The old order is gone. Weaknesses have been exposed."
I disagree the old order is gone, I just think a lot of folk have sold out to this "new world order" (either completely, or partially, i.e. those "exposed weaknesses" to which you refer) because it's easier, and more financially lucrative to be bought -- rather than continuing to fight and stand up as Malcolm and his OAAU did, because it's harder and dangerous at times, and nowhere near as financially lucrative (as if that must always be the end result).
"Our battle ground is no longer the battle ground of old."
Au contraire, mon frère! I really don't understand what you mean by that, because still see the same shit, different day! Wanna elaborate?
"I am sure you know that fighting a war is really about logistics and not so much about killing the enemy."
Full disclosure: My military experience was limited. However, IMHO, it's about both. Effective and properly executed logistics, to include funding, are necessary to make the killing easy in order to produce the FEAR, which allows the achievement of the desired end, be it plunder of resources, land-grabbing, regime change to force hegemony, etc., etc.
And let me just say this, those who get us involved in military actions, really don't give two-shits about having a "sick military" -- the human bodies are merely a means to an end and are expendable. Because if they did, there would've been no Walter Reed scandal, no rise of untreated TBIs (Traumatic Brain Injury); no backlog of veterans' claims for PTSD and a host of other injuries both physical and psychological; no increasing of the cost for military medical benefits (yes, we do pay for them, not as much as civilians, but we do) -- and I'm not just talking about these unnecessary and lied-us-into recent wars either. Just really look around you and you'll see the huge toll the Vietnam War has taken on the lives of so many of its veterans, many of them homeless or unable to secure a living wage or a decent standard of living because they are mentally and/or emotionally impaired. The list got on...
Now I do agree that we continue to compromise our bodies (present company included) and that we could/should try to do better in that regard -- but I don't see "them" as the new "battleground," Brother, I just don't. If your spirit is broken and/or your mind's screwed up, I don't care how strong your body is, you will never live any semblance of a balanced, or abundant life (whatever your definition of abundance is).
Sis Deb, I didn't see your comment on Toni and Angela. I wonder what happened? I've checked to make sure it didn't go to spam but I don't see the comment and I really wanted to get your thoughts on it. hmmm....
"I disagree the old order is gone, I just think a lot of folk have sold out to this "new world order" (either completely, or partially, i.e. those "exposed weaknesses" to which you refer) because it's easier, and more financially lucrative to be bought -- rather than continuing to fight and stand up as Malcolm and his OAAU did, because it's harder and dangerous at times, and nowhere near as financially lucrative (as if that must always be the end result)".
Deb,I must say your response rings true and what I find so interesting is the dynamics remain the same with each generation or era. We don't seem to learn from the mistakes of the past and they recycle within different contexts but it's the same old thing.
To be able to withstand and fight oppression...soundness of mind and emotional and spiritual fortitude are critical to survival and beyond. We should take better care of ourselves and I see that happening more now than ever but there is a definite connection between the mind/spirit and body and in order to be whole...the latter is just a shell without the former. Peace..
Sis. Carolyn, I don't know what the hayell happened to the comment, but I will rewrite and re-submit it as soon as I finish Pt. 2 of my latest series (I'm not near as disciplined a writer as I should be, so I gotta go ahead and finish it while I feel it!). Just wanted you to know that I got, and appreciate your input on this particular subject (think cuz we're old-er, we see shit similarly?). I'll come back and expand on your comment later.
Peace back atcha...
Sistahrs,
"I really don't understand what you mean by that, because still see the same shit, different day! Wanna elaborate?"
I mean that the so called powers that be have attacked us on the cellular level and killing us via the food supply. I mean that part of the tactics of those that wish to control us are on purpose manipulating and modifying the food supply. It is not as simple as we are not taking care of ourselves, but the food is being manipulated to such a degree that even though some of us attempt to "eat right" we are not helping ourselves and still becoming sick. How then can one take on a perceived enemy and all the while take the racist's and white supremecist's sugar diabetes or high blood pressure medication for preventable dis-ease?
I agree we are dealing with the same old shyte, however it has been compounded by a tampered with supply of food. So, what I mean by logistics is we are attempting to fight against racism and white supremacy all the while they are killing us via the food chain and (the food supply is hurting all of us here in the States, but affecting black people to a greater degree), we don't realize it which can make the fight against racism a moot point if we are ill.
Weaknesses exposed, means exactly what you said. They have been bought off, happily. And, helping to inflict pain on us along with white supremacy. This alone, having to face off with those that look like us changes the playing field.
Brother Dick Gregory says that the major causes of death in this country is lack of sleep and dehydration. My statement about an ill army had nothing to do with the U.S. military, but the army of black freedom fighters who may be be suffering from the effects of lack of proper nutrients and dealing with preventable disease.
I have no broken spirit, I just see the battle as wider than white supremacy and racism. Like Glen
Ford states on an episode of Black Agenda TV, concerning Detroit, MI and Dekalb County, GA. Pointing out that these are black majority run districts, Detroit 81% and Dekalb County 55% We know that the black people running these districts are operating in a system set up by racism and white supremacy, but as he says this knowledge is irrelevant. The greater knowledge is how to get them out of office.
I don't think I have the ability to make myself clear here in this space.
Deb, please take a listen for the first 51 minutes.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/abundancechild/2013/05/31/ac-worldwide-if-u-cant-take-the-heat-get-out-the-kitchen
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henrietta_Lacks
Peace my sistah!
Carolyn, Amenta...Hey Family! Just back from a hellacious road trip to FL (tying up some rental property loose ends) and SC (so damned home-sick, looking for a new home). I've been seriously overwhelmed by what I had to do and what I saw at home, I fell mute. I apologize.
Sis Carolyn...on Toni and Angela, don't know what happened but here's the short version: I grew up with, and was so inspired by both these women. Angela was my shero. I emulated her for reasons too numerous to list here. But when BeelzObama appeared, I couldn't believe she'd fallen for his bullshit: http://www.blackagendareport.com/content/angela-davis-lost-her-mind-over-obama I get how she, like John Lewis, longed to see a Black face in the White House given their activism -- but not HIS damned face! I do however support her fight against the Prison Industrial complex; she does, after all, have first-hand experience!
Regarding Toni, I feel pretty much the same. She gave voice to my little Black self with her books (I have them all except for "A Mercy"). She "knew me." I have to admit that, like her, my then, non-critically thinking self thought life was good for us under Slick Willy. I know better now. Her support of BeelzObama, like Angela's, was befuddling: http://observer.com/2008/01/toni-morrisons-letter-to-barack-obama/ -- WHAT??!!
Amenta, my Brother..."I agree we are dealing with the same old shyte, however it has been compounded by a tampered with supply of food."
I agree with you here, especially given the free reign companies like Monsanto have been afforded. However, I stand by my statement that, "If your spirit is broken and/or your mind's screwed up, I don't care how strong your body is, you will never live any semblance of a balanced, or abundant life."
I have "The Immortal LIfe of Henrietta Lacks" and am familiar with the HeLa cells that made the powers-that-be rich beyond measure, while her family can't even pay for health insurance. It is no different from the atrocities visited upon us and detailed so eloquently in Harriet A. Washington's, "Medical Apartheid." But today, we have white-trained, Black medical professionals needing stroking, participating in the furtherance of those kinds of experimentations. Their mind/body/spirit have been so manipulated, they don't even see their betrayal of us as a people, just their own possible glory, IMHO (possible being the operative word here).
The "your" in my statement was the "universal you," not you personally. I listened to the whole link you provided, and trust me -- I get it. I just don't think we can separate the mind/spirit/body triad.
"I just see the battle as wider than white supremacy and racism."
I don't. However, I agree with both you and Glen regarding these black majority run districts. And yes, the black people running these districts ARE operating in a system set up by racism and white supremacy. But I disagree strongly that "this knowledge is irrelevant." Why? Because you can't fight what you can't see and what WE can't see, is that the White Supremacist Capitalist Patriarchy (WSCP) is NOT just white folk! It's a SYSTEM which includes those "Others" who have become white (as Baldwin explains here: http://lets-be-clear.blogspot.com/2010/08/incredible-nothingness-of-whiteness.html), along with Blacks who will never BE white, but choose the financial benefits and self-aggrandizement that comes with being complicit in the WSCP!
I disagree that, "The greater knowledge is how to get them out of office." The greater knowledge is paying attention and knowing who the hell is who! Once we all GET THAT, getting them out of office is cake!
Sis Deb; I'm glad you are back and I hope that your business was taken care of to your liking! :-)
Re: Toni and Angela's support of President Obama; I must confess that when he first ran; I voted for him and like many...I saw what I wanted to see. He had this amazing oratory and persona to be many things to many people. After the initial naming of his cabinet during his first term; My response was Oh Hell! and as he went on I was especially struck by his reluctance to use his edge in making good on his promises when running. How do you take the country in a new direction using the same folks that aided Bush! Expectations lowered for sure and during his 2012 run I voted against Romney not for Obama. I became a strong Independent for both parties worked against us in different ways and also in collusion. Back to Toni and Angela; they may have decided to vote and continue to support the "more effective evil" (The BAR Report's analysis)for the symbolism of his election took precedence over anything he did or didn't do OR continues to do. It seems that black folks view themselves as being between a rock and hard place on this one. My concern is that I don't want to be linked with the ranting/raving white supremacists and their lackies--black conservative pundits who want him dead or silenced. The irony is that we see Obama as lacking progressive nerve in key areas and they view him as some wide-eyed progressive who is going to take away their white privilege. For those conservative blacks; it's far more complicated but just as deadly for their conservative and fixed views are tied to fundamentalist interpretations of the bible. The latter is a powerful force in many FACETS of the black community and for many gave our ancestors the strength to survive the horror of slavery/lynchings/Jim crow. Racism is no longer the threat that it was (to them) and has no bearing on their other conservative beliefs. Thus they can form alliances with white supremacists based on shared biblical beliefs and accept the mantel of becoming their "exceptional negroes".
Sis Deb, I'm sure there is more to say but I don't want to take over your comment section. As I think this through further; I plan to do a post on it in the near future.
I still care about Toni and Angela but I have come to the realization that we can't be all things to all people and though I disagree with them re: Obama; I respect what they've done and their commitment to telling the story of the marginalized and oppressed. Angela came out strongly for Assata Shakur.
Part 1.) Sis Carolyn...Hey! What an absolutely gorgeous picture on your new avatar! Thanks, the trip went half as well as expected, but I'm still workin' on it. I’m certainly glad to have that damned drive behind me though! No time to really write and way too much time to think!
”I must confess that when he first ran; I voted for him and like many...I saw what I wanted to see.”
Thank you for at least owning that (unlike many of his supporters). I respect you so much for doing so. Yeah, he had this amazingly orchestrated oratory, coupled with an equally orchestrated persona -- engineered by the real powers-that-be, so that he could come off as able “to be many things to many people. “ But, after having researched then-Sen. Obama since he gave the keynote speech at the DNC in 2004, and then the later shenanigans of the Rules & Bylaws Committee on his behalf (because I was living in Florida at the time) (http://lets-be-clear.blogspot.com/2008/02/florida-and-michigan-disenfranchisement.html); along with the truth about his “community organizing,” http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/06/27/grim_proving_ground_for_obamas_housing_policy/?s_campaign=8315 -- I knew, symbolism be damned, there was no way in hayell I’d be voting for their puppet -- http://lets-be-clear.blogspot.com/2008/06/history-or-his-story.html.
And in 2008, I did not. I became an Independent forthwith, voting for my sister, Cynthia McKinney (Oh I know, she was way “too ghetto” for most Black folk – I absolutely hate when we use that word our own damned selves, as if it hadn’t been created for ALL OF US OTHERS at one time or another! But that’s how she was described, by us and e’erybody else!). I voted for her because she fearlessly walked her talk, both here and abroad! Did I think she would win? Absolutely not. Did it matter? Absolutely not. I’m a big believer in, “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.”
”After the initial naming of his cabinet during his first term; My response was Oh Hell! and as he went on I was especially struck by his reluctance to use his edge in making good on his promises when running. How do you take the country in a new direction using the same folks that aided Bush!
You don’t, and he didn’t – because that wasn’t his purpose, as far as the real powers-that be were concerned: http://lets-be-clear.blogspot.com/2008/11/all-things-obama-media-love-fest.html
”Expectations lowered for sure and during his 2012 run I voted against Romney not for Obama. I became a strong Independent for both parties worked against us in different ways and also in collusion. “
You’re dead right there -- http://lets-be-clear.blogspot.com/2010/09/democrats-or-republicans-same-thing.html! So Sis, we both became Independents kinda for the same reasons.
Hey sistah! No need to apologize as you know I was and am dealing with some of the same stuff and know exactly how you are feeling. I am just coming back to myself from my trip back home.
Be Peace and we will surely converse when you strengthen yourself and get what you have to get together.
Part 2.) ”Re: Toni and Angela's support of President Obama they may have decided to vote and continue to support the "more effective evil" (The BAR Report's analysis) for the symbolism of his election took precedence over anything he did or didn't do OR continues to do. “
Sis Carolyn trust me, I still care about and respect Toni and Angela for what they've done and their commitment to telling the story of the marginalized and oppressed as well. I just don’t believe in “symbolism.” It means nothing to me if at the end of the day, real power is absent (and IMHO, it is where he’s concerned). Yes, “Angela came out strongly for Assata Shakur.” But, I just don’t get, how she can support him and be for Assata at the same time! What he and Brother Ass-coverer did was carried water for the White Supremacist Capitalist Patriarchy (WSCP) and surely imperiled her life at the same time! This, against a woman who certainly stood for our Blackness, way more than either of them ever have.
”It seems that black folks view themselves as being between a rock and hard place on this one.”
Not me. I’d rather not have a Black president if all we get, is someone like him who, when he’s not talking down to us, shuns our issues just like the white presidents have. “Change we can believe in” was a mere marketing tool.
”My concern is that I don't want to be linked with the ranting/raving white supremacists and their lackies--black conservative pundits who want him dead or silenced.”
I don’t worry about that because my distaste for him is rooted in the issues and his lies. Yes, the racists want him dead – because they’re die-hard racists! Black conservatives of today are not the Black conservatives of yesterday, like say, Frederick Douglass. Today, it seems, they (just like the Changeling) don’t understand, or are even interested in the fact that, as Audre Lourde once said, “The master's tools will never dismantle the master's house.”
”The irony is that we see Obama as lacking progressive nerve in key areas and they view him as some wide-eyed progressive who is going to take away their white privilege. “
Don’t count me in that we. I simply see him as a perfectly willing puppet, only interested in self-aggrandizement (for whatever reason – and I believe there are some deep-seated reasons) and who’ll do anything to get it.
”For those conservative blacks…Racism is no longer the threat that it was (to them) and has no bearing on their other conservative beliefs. Thus they can form alliances with white supremacists based on shared biblical beliefs and accept the mantel of becoming their "exceptional negroes."
While I agree about the whole bible thing (good and bad), I disagree that racism is no longer a threat to them. I think they just think it isn’t. Let them forget their “place” in those alliances and you can bet, they’ll go from “exceptional negroes” back to just plain, old niggers quick, fast and in a hurry because -- the supremacists haven’t changed, they just want folk to think they have.
Sis, never, ever worry about taking over my comment section because I enjoy our conversations immensely! I appreciate your sharing your thoughts, experiences and memories – they not only often teach me something, they give me a sense of place, of being anchored to the “us’” we were, as well as the "us" I have to believe we can be again.
Peace…
Thanks Amenta, really.
"My concern is that I don't want to be linked with the ranting/raving white supremacists and their lackies--black conservative pundits who want him dead or silenced.”
Sistahs this is exactly why I stopped posting about him. I didn't want to add fuel to the fire for these knuckle draggers.
Peace!
" ...didn't want to add fuel to the fire for these knuckle draggers."
Based on his actions (as directed by the real powers-that-be), he's doing a REAL good job of that all by his lonesome, IMHO. They're just too stupid and racist to realize it!
Sis Carolyn, Bro Amenta...I said up-thread, "I simply see him as a perfectly willing puppet..."
I came across this article today that explains what I mean wa-a-ay better than I could articulate: http://www.globalresearch.ca/syria-the-western-faces-behind-the-terror/5340493
He is in fact as BAR said, "the more effective evil." I'd go even further and say he has been "the MOST effective evil" for the-powers-that be, simply because his Black face in the White House has added millions of us majority-minorities to the rolls of those who are willingly (though quite unwittingly) complicit in the plans that are leading to their own destruction. No white president could have accomplished that -- which is why I take no responsibility for either "being linked with the ranting/raving white supremacists and their lackies--black conservative pundits who want him dead or silenced" or, as Amenta said, "adding fuel to the fire for these knuckle draggers." Because I'm doing neither.
My purpose in posting about him heavily is, first and foremost, trying to get information out so folk can seriously consider the "real" vs the propaganda being purposely generated because, none of us can fight, what we don't see. The dog whistles of Republican vs Democrats are just that, dog whistles, used to provide cover for the machinations of a Zionist-led, New World Order that plans to subjugate us all -- yet again (unless we fall in line like the Changeling and his minions, of course).
When you have time, check out the link (and the references in the footnotes). It's all overwhelmingly frightening to think how much is going on right under our noses, to include Amenta's very important issue of food-tampering (can anybody say Monsanto???), but -- we can learn to live our lives much more purposefully when we know what the hell is going on. Either that, or get the hell out of Dodge (which is looking, more and more, like a viable option to me)! :-D
Peace, Family -- and thanks again for such meaningful discourse.
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